View source for C/AL

{{Short description|Programming language}}
{{distinguish|CAL (programming language)}}
{{more footnotes|date=December 2009}}
{{one source |date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox programming language
| name                     = C/AL
| title                    = C/AL
| paradigm                 = [[Imperative programming|Imperative]]
| designer                 = Michael Nielsen
| developer                = [[Microsoft]]
| released                 =
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| influenced_by            = [[Pascal (programming language)|Pascal]]
}}
'''C/AL''' ('''C'''lient'''/'''server '''A'''pplication '''L'''anguage) was the programming language used within C/SIDE the '''C'''lient'''/S'''erver '''I'''ntegrated '''D'''evelopment '''E'''nvironment in [[Microsoft Dynamics NAV]] (formerly known as Navision Attain) and [[Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central]] up until (and including) version 14.  It has been replaced by [[AL (programming language)|AL]]. C/AL is a Database specific programming language, and is primarily used for retrieving, inserting and modifying records in a [[Microsoft Dynamics NAV|Navision]] database. C/AL resembles the [[Pascal (programming language)|Pascal language]] on which it is based. The original C/AL compiler was written by Michael Nielsen.<ref>Studebaker, David, "[https://books.google.com/books?id=OSbD-pcs88sC Programming Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009]," p. 8 (2009)</ref>
== Examples ==
=== Hello World ===
This is the classic [[Hello world program|Hello World]] example. Since the [[C/SIDE]] (Client/Server Integrated Development Environment) does not have a console to output text, this example is made using a dialog box as the visual interface.
<syntaxhighlight lang="pascal">
MESSAGE('hello, world!');
</syntaxhighlight>
=== Filtering and retrieving record ===
Variables in C/AL are not defined through code, but are defined via the variable declaration menu in the C/AL editor. In this example  ''Item'' is assumed to be a variable of type Record.
<syntaxhighlight lang="pascal">
IF Item.GET('31260210') THEN
MESSAGE(STRSUBSTNO('Item name is: %1',Item.Description));
Item.RESET;
Item.SETRANGE("No.",FromItem,ToItem);
Item.FINDLAST;
</syntaxhighlight>
=== Looping and data manipulation ===
Looping over a recordset and modifying the individual records is achieved with only a few lines of code.
<!-- There was no language setting for "C/AL". Used "pascal"-setting instead. Looks okay. -->
<syntaxhighlight lang="pascal">
Item.RESET;
Item.SETRANGE("Blocked",TRUE);
IF Item.FINDSET THEN
REPEAT
IF Item."Profit %" < 20 THEN BEGIN
Item."Profit %" := 20;
Item.MODIFY(TRUE);
END;
UNTIL Item.NEXT = 0;
Item.MODIFYALL("Blocked",FALSE);
</syntaxhighlight>
==See also==
*[[Microsoft Dynamics NAV]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/erp-nav-overview.aspx Microsoft Dynamics NAV Official Site]
{{Pascal programming language family}}
{{Microsoft development tools}}
[[Category:Pascal programming language family]]
[[Category:Query languages]]
[[Category:Microsoft Dynamics]]
[[Category:Microsoft programming languages]]
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